Ahead of the commencement of the sale of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms, 18 aspirants for the Edo State Governorship on the platform of Labour Party (LP) have appealed to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to reduce the fees for the forms.
The NWC of the party had pegged the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at N5 million and N25 million, respectively, reports Daily Sun.
But the aspirants are recommending that the expression of interest form should be made free for all aspirants, while the nomination form should be obtained at a cost that does not exceed from one to five million naira (NGN1,000.000.00 to 5,000,000.00) with 50% reduction for women and people living with disabilities.
Besides, they also recommend that for the ward and local government congresses that the party has scheduled to hold, the forms for those interested in being delegates be made free.
They argue that the party members at the grassroots, who have selflessly sacrificed and toiled and put their effort and resources into building our party, should not be compelled to pay for delegate forms, especially in light of the current economic reality in our country.
The aspirants in a statement, said after extensive internal discussions and also feeling the pulse of the members of their party, they were concerned that the decision to fix the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at N5 million and N25 million “does not align with the principles and public perception of our party”.
They said, “The Labour Party is known to the people as the party of “Mama, Papa, Pikin” and the Workers Party. The minimum wage in Nigeria for an average Nigerian worker today is Thirty-five thousand naira (NGN 35,000.00). To peg the party forms for governorship at a price that is 100 times a Nigerian worker’s minimum wage in the midst of crushing economic hardship may be perceived as tone-deaf. The Labour Party prides itself on being a party of equal opportunity, which implies that an average worker with vision, requisite qualifications, and character should aspire to be the Governor of Edo State.
“It is noteworthy that the NWC, in the last off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo States, pegged the cost of forms at Twenty-five million naira (NGN25,000,000.00), but after public uproar and the intervention of our national leader, the party reduced the cost of forms to fifteen million naira (NGN15,000,000.00), which many members and those sympathetic to the cause of our party still found too pricey. To then come to Edo State to repeat the same thing gives the impression that the party leaders may not be feeling the pulse of their members.
Our vision for the Labour Party is rooted in earnest labour, voluntary service, and equal opportunity, which should be reflected in the affordability of party forms”.
The governorship aspirants said they understand the financial challenges the party may face, and therefore, proposed enforcing mandatory prescribed membership monthly dues collections as per the party’s constitution to address this concern.
